News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-05-19
THE DUTCH GAP CANAL.
Gen. Butler Tells its History at the
Reunion of the Sixth Mass,
from the Boston Globe.1

VIZ OOsNOAA oAODOsI
Col. Jones asked Gen. Butler to give
his old comrades history of the Dutch
Gap Canal. The General complied, and
his explanation, never before made, was
listened to with intense interest by all.
He said: "The Army of the James lay
on the 18th of September, 1864, along
the outer lines of Richmond, occupying
a portion of the line of the main army
under Grant. We could not advance,
because the enemy had control of the
James River, and if the army passed in
the rear of the forts the Confederate
ironclads would have every advantage of
attacking them in the rear. French
Greek makes q detoJlr of seven miles
and returns again to a point where it is
only 435 feet from water to water, and
this is a bluff sixty feet high. [ had a
consultation with Gen. Grant and his
chief engineer. I said if we could get
our ironclads to drive the enemy's fleet
up the river the army could follow,
but as the river was but seven
feet deep around this seven-mile
detour, and the ironclads drew ff-
teen or sixteen feet, it was not possible
to get them around. 1 then suggested
the cut, which was known as Dutch
Gap; if it we're made we could get
twenty-one feet of water above the bend.
Gen. Grant agreed, and gave me the SER
vices of his engineer. So, while one of
Buffers failures, it was not one of his
misiudgments, as it was ordered by
Grant.
''The work was at once began, and on
Christmas Day of 1864 twas completed,
except about % feet, which formed
bulkhead between the water on either
side. During the process of excavation
the enemy threw at least 10000 shells
at us. The canal was to be 80 feet
across the bottom, and an average depth
of 25 feet. During the digging 1 had
hole made in the bank and two men
stationed ON the bluffs above, and when a
mortar shell would rise from the enemy's
feet they would shout SHELF and all
would run for the holes and remain until
the shell exploded There was one mule
killed, I believe and an army wagon
destroyed, and that was about all the
damage done. I had an enthusiastic
supporter in my work in the person of
Admiral Melancthon Smith, who COM
manded the Union ironclads, but he was
removed to another sphere of usefulness
just prior to the opening of the canal.
Having properly mined the bulkhead,
on Dec. % blew it up, and in twenty
four hours there was three feet of water
through the gap. In twenty
four hours more, by dredging, I could
have run an iron clad through. At that
hour I stopped work, and the country
and press rang with the report of But
ler's failure at Dutch Gap Canal. I
couldn't tell then, but 1 can tell now.
After | opened the hole the man who
Admiral Smith wrote me a
letter in which he said: For Gods sake,
don't let the rebel ironclads down upon
u.s. [ have got that letter. / am not
N the habit of destroying documents.
But what could [ do? [ couldn't say
hen that our fleet was afraid of the enc
NY What would have been said of me
+ had done so?
"But let me say that ON JAN 9, 1865, |
he enemy's ironclads came out of |
French Greek when the water was high, |
md drove our ironclads so fast that they |
lidn't wait even to open the draw in
he pontoon bridges, but crashed through |
hem, and they, in my Judgment,
have stopped until they reach
ID Fortress Monroe but for the fact
hat one of the enemy's vessels got
ashore and the rest of the feat.was de-
aged so long in assisting her that the
water began to fall, and they returned
As for that naval officer,
whose name I won't give you, but you
IAN read it in the history of the country,
ne was court martialed, found guilty of |
,owardice, and ordered to be dismissed
from the service. The order would |
have been carried out, but it was never
approved by the Secretary of the Navy. |
Now, let me say that Dutch Gap is the
only way to get to Richmond by the
James river. French Creek has grown |
up with grass. 1t is the only nook that |
has ever been any eartly used to human
ty, and to-day is benefit to navigation
Of the James.